Ack… Family!
By: ChickenGoddess
School
Everyone fell silent as Arnold stepped onto the bus with his rather unusual cousin. The silence made Arnold's skin crawl but Arnie didn't seem the least bit phased by the quiet. The only audible sound was the gentle scuffing of their shoes on the floor of the bus.
"Arnie…" Lila giggled.
Arnie turned his freakish head toward the sound of his name. "Hi."
"Would you like to sit with me?" She asked, ever so politely.
"It's ok." Arnold said, giving the thumbs-up to his cousin.
Arnie scanned the bus, his gaze resting on the blond girl with pigtails and one eyebrow. She was sitting with a small Japanese girl.
"Ok." He snorted as he sat beside Lila, who beamed with delight as the strange child sat down.
Arnold collapsed down in the aisle seat next to his best friend with a heavy sigh as he shut his eyes.
"It's not gonna be that bad…" Gerald tried.
Arnold simply turned his head to look at Gerald, his eyes half closed.
"So it's gonna be that bad… it's not like it's forever! Plus, he's already hooked on Lila again. He'll be out of the house every night!"
Arnold looked at Lila and Arnie… they looked happy, if Arnie ever showed happiness, that was. Something told him Gerald wasn't right on the mark, but he'd have to believe it if he wanted to stay sane.
"Thanks Gerald."
"What does she see in him?" Rhonda cringed.
"I'll be darned if I know." Stinky replied, observing the "perfect" couple.
Sniffing was heard from behind Rhonda.
"Stop smelling me!" She reprimanded the shorter boy with a bowl cut hairdo and jaunty upper lip.
"Give daddy some sugar!" Curly cried, grabbing Rhonda.
"Ewww!!! You freak!" She screamed, slapping him.
"Consider the alternative, Princess." Helga offered, motioning at Arnie.
Everyone cringed as the strange kid snorted and Lila giggled. They emitted a single, collective "eewww…"
Lunchtime rolled around and Lila had coaxed Arnie into sitting with her. He had remained quiet the whole day, save his snort. If things were to continue like this, Arnold concluded that everyone would make it through the remaining time with their sanity sparred.
"Free at last?" Gerald joked as he placed his tray beside his best friend.
"Gerald, you have no idea."
"You're a bold kid, Arnold. I don't know how you do it."
"Do what?" Arnold asked, biting into his sandwich.
"Put up with people."
"It's a gift, I guess."
"Today's my lucky day! The lunch lady saved me an extra bowl a' lemon puddin'!" Stinky announced as he took a seat.
Arnold smiled and turned briefly to see how his cousin was doing. Lila was saying something and Arnie was looking at her… Arnold squinted to better focus his eyes and saw that Arnie wasn't looking at Lila… he was looking past her. Arnold's eyes moved from his cousin to the resting place of Arnie's gaze. Arnold's heart skipped a beat as he gasped… Arnie was looking at Helga! She opened her lunchbox for the third week in a row and found it empty.
"Arnold? What's wrong, man?" Gerald asked.
"Nothing… it's just… Helga's mom forgot to pack her lunch again."
"What else is new? I'd be surprised if Mrs. Pataki remembered." Gerald offered, munching on his food.
"Well… don't you ever feel bad?" He asked.
Everyone at the table looked up from their lunch.
"Yeah, of course. But it's funny to watch her trick Harold into eating shaving cream and other stuff." Gerald replied.
"Like the time she gave him a rubber ball and he thought it was an orange!" Sid added, laughing. "He almost choked on it!"
Arnold searched his pockets and pulled out the few extra dollars he had as he stood up and headed toward the food and purchased a sandwich and a cup of tapioca pudding. He placed these items on a tray and his friends watched silently as he headed toward the table where Phoebe and Helga were sitting. Wordlessly, he placed the tray in front of Helga. She looked up, almost shocked that Arnold stood above her.
"What's this for?" She asked when she could think again.
"I had some extra lunch money… and it didn't look like you had anything to trade Harold today… so I bought you lunch." Arnold replied, fidgeting with his hands behind his back to keep the nervousness from his voice.
"You really did that… for me?" She asked in such a gentle voice he'd never heard from her before.
"Yeah." He replied.
"You mean… this isn't gonna turn out to be another April Fool's prank, is it?" She asked quickly.
Arnold laughed… then felt guilty for manipulating her emotions. "No pranks."
"Thank you, Arnold. I… I… thank you." She stuttered.
"Anytime…" he said, walking back to his table.
Helga smiled a lovesick grin until Phoebe slapped her.
"Ouch! Pheebs! What was that for?! Crimety!" She asked, holding her cheek with her hand.
"Sorry, Helga. You had this goofy smile on your face and I didn't want anyone to make fun of you… or accuse you of liking 'ice cream'." The petite Japanese girl replied.
Helga glanced at Arnold who was sitting down. "Thanks Phoebe." She said genuinely.
"You'd do the same for me." She said, smiling.
Helga returned the grin as she bit into the sandwich, thinking "how did he know I like pastrami?"
"That was right gallant of you Arnold." Stinky said.
"I think it's 'gal-ont' not gal-ant'." Sid replied, correcting Stinky's mispronunciation.
"It was the right thing." Arnold said.
Gerald rolled his eyes, detecting a hint of blush on the cheeks of his best friend.
Helga, Phoebe, Arnold, Gerald, Sid, Stinky and Harold all sat on the jungle gym, basically bored out of their skulls. Sheena and Eugene were working on their new routine, Nadine and Rhonda were painting each other's nails and Arnie and Lila sat together on a bench adjacent to the school building.
"Arnie's isn't all that bad this visit." Sid said. "I mean, except for the snort, and the counting things, and the lint collecting… he doesn't talk much during class."
"There's the master of tact, himself." Helga replied sarcastically, hanging upside down, but for one reason or another, her dress stayed in place.
"He's so dumb he probably doesn't know what's going on!" Harold said in his usual whiny voice.
"You should talk, Pink Boy." Helga replied.
"I'm not dumb!" Harold protested.
"You drank a quart of oil because I told you it was hot fudge." She retorted.
Everyone laughed, remembering that say in the cafeteria.
"Stop that! It's not funny! Stop or I'LL POUND YOU!"
Everyone managed to stifle their laughter.
"How was I supposed to know it was oil?!"
"They have their own separate tastes, Bubba!" Gerald replied.
"Shut up! And don't call me that!"
Arnold sighed with a smile, thankful for his classmates. No matter how annoying they could get, they were nothing like his cousin. Arnie was a different kind of annoying. This thought in mind, Arnold shot a glance at his cousin and noticed that Arnie's attention was focused on them… who was he kidding, Arnie was looking at Helga. Arnie's beanie copter was spinning and he was looking at Helga. A sudden protective instinct shot through him, an expression of anger coming across his usually mellow features.
"Arnold… are you all right?" Phoebe asked.
He shook his head, loosing the look of frustration. "Helga, would you mind sitting instead of hanging?"
She looked at him and sat upright. "Better, Football Head?"
"Thanks Helga."
"Are you sure you're ok?" Sid asked, being the perpetually paranoid individual he was.
"Yeah… Arnie was just… freaking me out." He said.
"That makes two of us." Gerald said, backing up his best friend.
The school bell rang and the kids reluctantly set off to class, still contemplating the bizarre nature of Arnold's previous actions. And as customary, Helga ran behind the playground dumpster.